Legend of Zelda: Clink
by Chieves
Summary: Brought together through unique circumstances, the unlikely duo of Cloud Strife and Link of Hyrule must band together to fight Vaati: an evil sorcerer who has risen once again!
1. Chapter 1

**This is a collaboration idea from me and my buddy, it was written for fun so there's not a rigorous schedule but even so, please enjoy! We will finish it sometime. If you'd like to check out the comic go to foxtail-89's deviantart gallery and look for clink! She works on the comic while I write out the story.**

**The characters are owned by their respective game companies: Nintendo and Squee-nix**

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><p>"Link! Wake up!"<p>

Link hit the ground with a loud bang; his arm twisted awkwardly underneath him and his eyes still half closed from sleep. His legs were tangled in the sheets and he had a slight memory of having to run in his dream but he couldn't remember what for or from.

Murmuring something inaudible Link looked for the source of the noise only to see a small blue fairy hovering above his head. "Come on Navi! Every single morning." He groaned, "Let me sleep in, just one more hour is all I ask!" He rolled along the floor, sheets and all, until he arrived next to his wardrobe.

"It's not my fault you decided to make your own little delivery service Link, if you want to deliver all of your items on time you need to wake up early! In fact, I really should wake you up an hour earlier, so consider yourself lucky you have such a thoughtful and considerate fairy like me."

"Lucky, that's one word to describe me." Link muttered to himself, standing up in his cocoon of covers and snagging his customary green outfit. He heaved a sigh as he let the covers drop to the floor, the chill that fell upon him waking him up instantly and giving him shivers as he quickly dressed for the day.

He put on his hat as a finishing touch and grabbed his sword from the dresser before descending from the tree with an agile ease. When he reached the bottom he pulled out a list from his pack, he took a moment to consider it and then said, "Alright, first and foremost we need to drop by Castle Town to see Zelda."

"That's not on the list!"

"Yes it is, I wrote it there yesterday." Link smiled at her and then whistled for Epona, the song flowing through the woods on high crisp notes. A few seconds later he heard the familiar gallop of his horse and turned to the noise only to be bowled over by the large animal.

Epona's tongue dragged over Link's face several times, "Alright!" Link laughed, pushing at the horse's nose, "I love you too, now let me up!" After a couple more licks Epona relented.

"To Castle Town!" Link said, heading off cheerfully through the forest.

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><p>The wind flew past Cloud's ears as he and Tifa raced out of Midgar on Fenrir. Tifa's hands gripped Cloud tighter around the waist and he smiled, speeding up and flying into the forest of glowing trees. They were on their way to visit Vincent after receiving an amusing message regarding Yuffie and her antics in his house.<p>

"She lost her luggage because she gambled it away for some special materia involving chocobos and then she insists on wearing _my_ clothes even though I gave her money to go get new ones! I still haven't gotten that money back either too so I can only assume that she's spent it on something needless and/or stupid. She freeloads with everything and has already cleared out my fridge two times and refuses to go out and buy groceries and she doesn't clean up after herself and I swear if I find one more bra in the fridge I might snap, she claims that it keeps them 'fresh' what does that even mean?" Vincent's message was disrupted by a screaming yell and a clatter as the phone fell to the ground.

"Score five for the Great Ninja Yuffie, zero for Vinnie!" A higher pitched woman's voice yelled in the background.

"Get back here with my boots!" Vincent yelled at her as she laughed maniacally and ran away, presumably down one of his various hallways. Vincent muttered something about killing ninjas and picked up the phone once again. "Save me, please."

Cloud chuckled to himself; it was good that Yuffie was there since she was the only one that could make Vincent show so much emotion. Of course, sometimes she could go a little overboard.

They were nearing the end of the woods when out of nowhere a beam of light shot down, Cloud tried to press the brakes but they were nonresponsive. Tifa yelled something inaudible as the bike swerved and skidded, hitting a large boulder and sending them flying forwards. Cloud tried to grab at Tifa as he felt her slip but a sharp pain crashed into his mind and everything went black.

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><p>Link marveled at the tall towers, every time he past the gate into the city it always made him feel small and insignificant in comparison. Epona gave a slight toss of her head as they entered the throng of people that were milling about the market. Many heads turned his way, most of them the village girls who weren't used to his presence, but he only cared about one girl in particular.<p>

Said girl was currently in the middle of the market haggling with a fruit vendor. She wore a cloak and hood to hide her identity but Link would know her anywhere. He scooped her up into his lap from his spot on Epona and hugged her close. "Good morning Zelda!" He said, snickering at her surprised, exasperated, and yet pleased face.

"Link!" She scolded, "How many times have I told you not to reveal my identity!" She smiled at him all the same though and kissed him on the nose. Her mighty hero.

"I can't help it, that cloak does you no justice, and the people should know how beautiful their leader is." Link smiled as a blush ran across her face, "But if you insist," He said, fixing the hood of her cloak around her face, "I'll let you go back to your work. A hero is only wanted when he's needed."

"Stop sulking, you know that's not true, I just need to finish collecting sales data and I'm not going to get anywhere if everyone knows that it's me talking to them." Zelda slid down from Epona and looked up at Link, she stood there for a moment and smiled, "Ride safe Link."

He nodded and then turned Epona around to make his way out of the town and on to Snowpeak. Zelda watched his retreating figure until she couldn't see him any longer and murmured to herself, "I'll always need you Link."

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><p>"Watch out!" Navi cried, Link jerked from his daydreaming of Zelda and stopped Epona just in time to keep from running over a strange man lying in the middle of the path. Link slid out of the saddle and ran forward with his sword drawn, stopping just before he reached him and nudging the guy with the blunt edge of the master sword.<p>

When the stranger failed to move or make any reaction Link crept closer. The man was wearing a strange black outfit and his hair was spiked in a precarious and rebellious look. When Link turned his face he was surprised to see that the stranger seemed to be about the same age as him.

"Link, don't even think about it." Navi warned, swirling around his head.

"We can't just leave him here!"

"Who knows where he came from and who he's with? Not all of your enemies are gone you know!"

"I don't know, Navi, he doesn't seem that dangerous, and it wouldn't be very hero-like of me to distrust every new person I meet. We have to help him."

Navi flared up right in his face, "Don't say I didn't warn you." Before Link could reply she zoomed into his hat and lay there silently.

Link pressed his lips into a thin line and looked at the man one more time in thought. He really should be wary of strangers but there was something about this stranger that seemed good. Link grabbed one of the man's arms and threw it over his shoulder, hoisting him up with a grunt at the weight and dragging him over to Epona where he threw him over the horse and got back into the saddle.

He put one hand in back and grabbed onto the man's shirt to keep him from sliding off and then took off for the Zora's Domain.

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><p>Cloud felt a pounding in his head and groaned slightly. He heard something rustling and murmured, "Tifa?"<p>

"He's awake!" He heard someone say excitedly and their footsteps ran away from the room and faded into the distance. Cloud opened his eyes confused and a feeling of horror gripped him as he realized that he wasn't anywhere in Midgar.

He sat up slowly and closed his eyes, trying to remember everything up until this point. He and Tifa had been riding to go and visit Vincent… there had been strange blue light… he lost control of Fenrir… the last thing he remembered was the feeling of Tifa's hands being ripped from his waist.

He opened his eyes when he felt a new presence enter the room. A young man stood in front of him and a fish-like boy was standing next to him.

"Who are you?" Cloud asked warily, his hand reflexively reaching for his sword before he realized that it wasn't there. He looked around until he spotted it propped up against a wall on the other side of the room. They weren't his enemies if his sword was still in the room.

"It would do you well to speak in a more respectful tone." The fishboy said, in a regal and yet childish voice, "You are in the presence of the Prince of Zora's and the Hero of Hyrule."

"It _might_ be better if I just talk to him on my own." The man said to the fishboy, who in turn gave him a peeved look but left as requested.

Cloud felt even more confused than ever, what was a Zora? Was it a fish-person like the little kid? The hero gave him a sympathetic smile, "I'm Link. I found you lying on a path while I was on my way to Snowpeak. Who are you?"

"Was there anyone else with me? Did you see a girl anywhere?" Cloud asked Link, ignoring Link's question and swinging his feet out of bed and standing up.

"There wasn't anyone else there. It was only you." Link said quietly, stepping between Cloud and his sword, "And I know you probably want to go looking for her right away but judging from your looks and the way you speak you're not from here so looking for her would be a suicidal mission."

"Be that as it may I need to find her. I can handle myself." Cloud tried walking around him but Link blocked his path once more.

"And I'm saying that you'll be no help to your girl if you die."

"I don't need your advice."

"It's not advice, it's a fact."

They stood with their faces inches apart, both at the same eye level. Cloud clenched his fists in anger, "What do you expect me to do then, sit here and do nothing? Leave Tifa alone in a world that's as alien to her as it is to me?"

"Of course not, I'm going to help you." Link said this so nonchalantly that Cloud didn't register what he said at first.

"What?"

"I said I'm going to help you, got it? If she wasn't there when I got to you that means she was either taken or dead. For your sake we're going to assume it was the first option, in which case we're going to need to figure out who took her. I have several good guesses but just randomly running after one of them will get us no where, so sit tight and have some soup while we figure out who it was." Link gestured to the tray of food that was sitting on the bedside table.

When Link turned to leave Cloud called out, "Wait!" Link turned to him questioningly. "Why are you helping me? You don't even know me."

"Yeah, but I've been in your situation before, and I know that it's not easy to find your princess on your own. And sometimes it's just nice to have some one help you out, instead of you doing everything on your own." Link seemed a little sad when he said this last part, his eyes distracted a bit.

"Cloud."

"Hm?" Link looked back at him confused.

"You asked my name, it's Cloud."

Link smiled, "Welcome to Hyrule, Cloud."


	2. Chapter 2

**Please enjoy! Characters are owned by their respective owners (is that redundant?)**

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><p>Link leaned over the dark stone table, a map laid out between him and Prince Ralis. Cloud paced back and forth across the plush rug that lay along the floor, every now and then glancing up and looking at the map to make a comment about where he and Tifa had been. Next to the map of Hyrule that lay on the table, Cloud had drawn a smaller and cruder map of his world with a rough circle where he and Tifa had been when they had been taken by the light.<p>

Cloud stared at the rug as he walked. When he realized that the rug actually told a story he paused and tilted his head a bit, making out the events. "That's the story of Queen Rutella," Link said, looking at what Cloud was staring at, "Prince Ralis' mother."

"What happened to her?" Cloud questioned quietly.

"She was executed for saving me. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to business so that I can literally get back to business." Ralis smoothed down the map and gave Link a look. The two began bouncing ideas off of one another while Cloud stared moodily down at the rug. He hadn't even thought that Hyrule could have had a bad past. Everyone seemed so content and happy.

"Could the backlash of the magic just center on one person?" Link questioned, rubbing his chin with one hand and resting the other on his hip. He squinted down at the map and then looked at Prince Ralis who just shook his head.

"Magic backlash? That would only happen to the person casting the spell, not on the object. Haven't you been getting magic lessons from Zelda? You should know that!"

Link laughed and grinned suggestively, "We get too preoccupied with other matters."

"You're gonna make me puke." Ralis deadpanned, rolling his eyes.

"What, like you and your fiancée don't do anything?" Link questioned innocently, already knowing the answer.

"Ruto doesn't want to do anything, ever. She's always working! Work, work, work! There's no time for me!" Prince Ralis ranted.

"I'm sure you'll survive," Ruto said from the doorway, her curvaceous figure highlighted by the soft glow of the candles in the hallway. She stalked into the room and looked down at Ralis, who still hadn't hit his growth spurt. "You two," She poked Ralis in the chest and motioned at Link, "always seem to make trouble when you're left together for too long."

"Aw, come on Ruto," Link wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "We don't _make _trouble, trouble just finds us."

"And my aunt is a Gerudo." Ruto flicked Link's arm off and dusted off her shoulder. "Now what are you two up to?" It was then that she noticed Cloud standing off in the background, almost blending into the wall. "You three?"

"It's a top secret mission." Prince Ralis stepped in front of Ruto while Link rolled up the maps.

"We aren't even married yet and you're already starting to keep secrets from me? Tsk tsk tsk Ralie, I didn't know you were such a bad boy."

"If I didn't know better I'd think that was appreciation in your eyes." Ralis smiled at Ruto who turned away with a smile, a small blush running on her face.

"Good thing you know better."

"If you two lovebirds don't mind, me and my pal here are just going to head off…" Link tried sneaking out the door but was stopped by Ruto.

"Park it elf boy, I'm not done here." She grabbed the maps from Link's hands and rolled them out. "What is this?"

Link and Ralis looked at each other, "We might as well," Link said.

"Cloud here is from another world and he was summoned here by some form of magic. Unfortunately when he was summoned he had a girl with him, and when he woke up that girl was nowhere to be seen. We're trying to locate her." Ralis explained, trailing a finger across the maps.

"And neither of you assumed that the person who cast the spell would have the girl right now? That maybe Cloud just got pushed out of the spell?" Ruto raised an eyebrow.

"Her name is Tifa, she's not 'the girl'." Cloud said angrily, entering the conversation, if only to make a point.

Ruto nodded at him in apology, "Tifa is probably with the caster as we speak."

"Who's the caster then?" Cloud asked, relieved that they were finally getting somewhere.

"Well," Ruto, Link, and Ralis glanced at each other, "The only person who could perform a spell that great has been sealed away for 100 years."

"Funny that it's always 100 years," Link muttered, "It's never 113 or 105.3, it has to be dramatic."

"It_ is_ tradition." Ralis nodded in agreement.

"I'd probably suggest going to see the Great Fairy, and you boys are in luck," Ruto smiled at them evilly, "I happen to be heading that way myself so I'll accompany you."

"Yippee…" Link said sarcastically but smiled at her as she punched his shoulder good-naturedly.

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><p>Link sat on the edge of the cliff in the Great Spring while Cloud leaned against the wall behind him. "So what," Cloud asked, "Do you just say a fancy rhyme or throw a flower in or something?"<p>

"Almost," Link laughed, "Lanayru is vacationing with Faron so we have to do this a little old school style." He looked at Navi as she floated around his head, "Navi, would you be so kind as to do the honors?"

"I am so underappreciated." Navi grumbled to herself.

"Love you too!" Link called to her as she flew to the middle. Navi began to glow a pattern of bright colors, calling the Great Fairy.

Cloud walked up beside Link as a shimmering cloud appeared underneath Navi, an ethereal woman standing within it. Slowly her wings unfurled, looking much like a flower was blossoming from her back. Her long hair wound down her chest and back in an alien beauty, she smiled up at them from beneath long black lashes and flew to eye level.

"You called, my Hero?" Her voice was warm and melodic; she spoke in an amused singsong voice and tilted her head to the side to consider them both. "You," She said, flying closer to Cloud to consider him up close. "You are the one that the Sorcerer was calling. I can only imagine why you are here now."

"The Sorcerer?" Link asked.

"I believe you call him Vaati. He has awakened, with a thirst for ill put revenge. He summoned Cloud to Hyrule for some ridiculous plan, only he didn't consider that I can feel all disturbances within this world. I halted his progress and Cloud was released from the spell, though I thought I felt another presence with you."

"That was Tifa." Cloud said, looking at the Great Fairy anxiously, "So Vaati has Tifa?"

"That would be my guess, yes. Though don't cross your fingers, Vaati has been very unpredictable as of late. I don't know how he managed to create a spell that spanned across worlds but this only means that he has gotten stronger than ever. If you're going to face him, which I already know you are, you need to be prepared."

"Well… I already have the bow and arrow, bombs, clawshots, some kind of spinning thing, a fishing pole, some bottles, a ball and chain, a rod, iron boots, boomerang, a slingshot… and a horse whistle." Link listed the items off on his fingers, "Oh, and a lantern. I even have changes of clothes! What else do I need?"

The Great Fairy laughed, hiding her smile behind a delicate hand, "You need to be mentally prepared. Your tasks up ahead will ask a great deal from you. I'm saying that you need to make sure your mind is strong and that you two always work together. No splitting up, got it? Otherwise we're all doomed and the world will probably explode, or something."

"Got it ma'am!" Link saluted her, much to the Great Fairy's chagrin. He threw an arm around Cloud's shoulders and pulled him closer, "We'll be closer than two peas in a pod."

_That expression_, Cloud thought, smiling a little while shoving Link away. _There are some things that never change._

"Go now then, and gain a little intelligence while you're at it, eh?" The Great Fairy teased, she floated back to the center of the spring.

Link turned to Cloud, "I'll go tell Ruto and meet back up with you, do you know the way back to the Zora Domain?"

"I'll manage." Cloud said and Link took off. Cloud turned to leave but was stopped by the Great Fairy.

"Oh, Cloud," The Great Fairy called, "One last bit of advice: trust in your friends to do the right things, they're not as fragile as you think."

"Wait, my friends? What do you mean?" Cloud asked confused, but the Great Fairy shifted back into a cloud of white and then disappeared altogether.

"They're here?" Cloud asked but it was only to an empty spring, his words echoed back to him seemingly more alone than ever.

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><p>"That damned fairy." Vaati ground his teeth in frustration as he looked out of the window in the Wind Temple. The soft moonlight illuminated his long purple hair that fell around his shoulders, slightly messy and tousled.<p>

He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He had been locked away for too long, he would make sure that he would stay in the real world this time. He would not be sealed ever again.

"Vaati?" Dark Link asked from across the room, he was crossing through a hallway with a tray in his hands. Vaati presumed it was for their captive and not for himself, Dark Link wasn't that nice. "It's getting pretty late, don't you want to sleep?" Dark Link asked, if Vaati hadn't known him better he would have thought that was concern in his voice.

"That's none of your concern." Vaati said, turning his back on Dark Link.

"Mrowr."

"Bite me." Vaati intoned, Dark Link chuckled and continued on to the girl, leaving Vaati to his dark thoughts.

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><p>"Knock knock," Dark Link called, rapping on the door. "I'm just kidding; you couldn't open it even if you wanted to." He chuckled to himself as he waved a hand over the knob so that the magic could recognize him before he opened it up.<p>

The room was rather simple, whitewashed walls with a single window in the west side. The bed was plain and pushed into the corner with a night table pressed against its side. With the exception of the rug on the floor, the rest of the room was bare. The girl sat on the bed, glaring at him and trying to look dignified, although it was difficult from her trussed up position.

"All right, all right, stop giving me that look. After you gave me a bloody nose I had no choice!" Dark Link defended himself, setting the tray down on the nightstand. "Now I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I got some generic milk and toast. Sorry it's not hot chocolate, Vaati doesn't shop for groceries and I haven't been able to go out in while."

Dark Link glanced at the tray and then to her bound hands, "Well, I would offer to feed you myself, but I can only guess that you wouldn't appreciate it as much as I would intend." He grabbed her hands and pulled out a small dagger from his belt. "Now you have to promise me you won't try and break my nose again." He looked at her for a long moment as she decided, before slightly nodding her head.

"Good, I really wish you would talk to me though… a pretty thing like you probably has a beautiful voice to match." Dark Link grinned at her, "Too bad you're already spoken for."

"I can't believe how thick of a rope we had to use." He commented, more so to himself as he sawed through the ropes. When they finally all fell away he gathered them up and straightened, "Now don't try anything funny, that window and the door and basically everything has a ward on it, so you'll only be hurting yourself." He walked back to the door, holding it open for a moment, "Enjoy your meal, I promise I didn't poison anything." He thought I caught a glimpse of a smile on the girl's face before the door closed. He paused by a moment, leaning against the door and listening. After a couple of moments he heard the rustling of the bed sheets and a soft clinking sound of silverware.

He sighed and stretched, taking off his hat and running a hand through his hair as he headed off down the corridor back to his own room. Vaati still stood silhouetted by the window as he passed again, Dark Link paused but decided against saying anything. Vaati needed time to get accustomed to the world once again. He just hoped that Vaati would stop this time, after getting rid of Link. He got too power hungry and it all went downhill from there.

Dark Link moved on and entered his small room, cloaked in darkness and comforting. He pulled off his boots and curled up under the covers on his bed. _Maybe this time will be different_, he thought to himself, _maybe this time Vaati won't have to be sealed away._ The darkness entered his mind and slowly he fell into a deep sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Please enjoy! Characters are forever enslaved to their owners: Nintendo and Square-enix**

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><p>"Hey Ralis!" Link called out as he ran back up the walkway into the Zora's Domain. The short prince waved a hand in dismissal to the Zora next to him as the young elf got close. "I have a favor to ask of you!" Link said, grabbing out a hodgepodge of items from his infinity pocket, "Could you have some of your Zoras deliver the rest of these? I haven't been able to make any deliveries and the people are depending on me to get them their supplies today."<p>

"Sure Link, but I have a suspicion that no one's life depends on Ordon Cheese." Ralis raised his eyebrows at Link as he took the items, holding up the cheese in question, "You put this in your _pocket_?"

"Well I'm sure not going to put it in my hat, and what are you talking about, Yeto and Yeta depend upon that cheese! They only eat soup and that's the key ingredient."

Navi swirled around Link's head and chimed out, "Just humor him Prince Ralis, he likes to pretend he's important."

Ralis smiled and shook his head, "Alright, I'll send my people off today with your ridiculous assortment of items and goods, but do me a favor and stop putting cheese in your pocket. That's not very fitting with your 'hero' image."

Link frowned, "Why not? I put _everything_ in there; I even still have a couple of bottles of milk and some soup left over from my last visit to Snowpeak."

Ralis grimaced, "Forget I said anything."

Link laughed, sitting on the ground to wait for Cloud while Prince Ralis went off to accomplish his courtly duties, whatever they may be. He didn't have to wait long, soon he saw the spikey haired man come into view, his eyes lost in thought.

"Did the Great Fairy give you some life altering advice that could potentially tip the scales of the good and evil? Or are you just that happy to see me?" Link said sarcastically but with a smile as Cloud got close. Navi flew over to Cloud and he glanced up at her in confusion for a second before he realized that Link had said something to him.

"Hm? Oh she just told me something weird, so where are we going?"

Link followed the change of subject, guessing that Cloud would tell him when he wanted to. "We have to head back to Ordon Village so I can grab the rest of my stuff. I only have my sword and shield with me since I usually figure I don't need the claw shot or the dominion rod to make deliveries, unless the delivery is to Tingle, in which case, you know, I like to bring as many weapons as I can." He stood up, patting off his butt as he started walking in the general direction of the Ordon Village. "It would of course be faster to ride Epona but I don't think you'd appreciate the humor of two manly guys riding off into the sunset on a horse together."

"Right," Cloud said glancing at Link's "skirt", "Manly."

"Don't judge, this outfit is optimum for fighting, I have no restrictions." Link laughed as Cloud made a face at what Link was implying.

"So Ordon Village was it?" Cloud said switching topics once again, preferring to avoid that subject area.

"Yup, home of the awesome, AKA me."

Cloud could tell that this was going to be a long walk back to Link's home, and he was completely right. Along with several stories of Zelda, Link was also very chatty about anything that came to mind and was prone to ADHD. Cloud didn't know what to make of his new companion, half the time Link seemed very serious and smart and the other half… well he acted like he had the brain of a chocobo.

"Are you always like this?" Cloud asked, cutting Link off mid-rant about the eyebrows on some guy named Ganondorf. They were just entering Ordon Village and the sky was turning a faint shade of pink as the sun slipped below the horizon.

Link was taken back for a moment, Cloud had been silent for pretty much the whole journey and Link had thought he was basically just talking to himself. "Sorry," He said, rubbing an ear self-consciously, "I was excited considering I've never had a guy companion before… come to think of it, the closest thing to a guy friend that I have is probably Prince Ralis… and he's not even a guy. It's nice having you around, even if the circumstances aren't very favorable."

_A friend huh? _Cloud thought to himself, _well at least he's not an enemy; I'm sure he'd literally kill me with kindness._ He took a moment to consider this,_ Yeah, he'd find a way._

"Here we are! Home sweet home." Link said, making a grand gesture to an oversized tree house secluded within the forest. It was far enough from town so that Link had privacy but close enough that he didn't feel alone when living there.

"Nice." Cloud said appreciatively, it was perfectly suited for Link. There was a slight clattering against the windows within the boughs of the tree and they both looked up in time to see a couple of ooccas bouncing against the window pane from inside the tree.

"Why are the Oocca there?" Navi asked, flying up higher and entering the house through the window at the top.

Link headed up the ladder and opened the door to see his home completely overtaken by ooccas. They were scattered all around, most of them perched on the railings attached to the upper levels and a couple of oocca kids floating around lazily. "Ooccoo, what are you guys doing here?" Link asked as a familiar oocca walked up to Link, Ooccoo Jr. following close behind. Link crouched down to better hear his unique friend.

"Link!" The bird creature burbled out in her strange voice, little tears in her eyes, "Our home's been taken again!"

"Again?" Cloud said in the background, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you mean? Who could have… oh…" Link paused and straightened as he turned back to Cloud. Cloud nodded as well as they both had the same thought, Vaati must have set up camp in the Wind Temple, kicking the oocca out in the process.

There were many legends about the Wind Temple's origin, but the most common idea was that it had been Vaati's home and when he had been sealed away the place had been abandoned until the Oocca race had happened upon it.

"So we have a destination now." Cloud said.

"Yup, and it'll be easy enough to get to the Wind Temple." Link said, moving around the room and grabbing his stashed weapons. "Feel free to have something to drink, I'm afraid all I have to eat is soup, but you can have some if you want!" Link smiled at Cloud who was just standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do. While Cloud wandered off in the direction of the kitchen, with Navi showing him the way like a proper hostess, Link climbed up the ladder to his bed level and reached beneath his mattress, pulling out his extra bomb bags and sliding back down to head to the kitchen.

Cloud looked a little lost as his striking blue eyes roamed the various cabinets and chests, "Don't you have a fridge or a microwave?" He asked, and when seeing Link's blank look he groaned and rubbed his face, "I really am in the medieval era…"

Link laughed, "Well I don't know what those things are but they aren't necessary for us, we lead pretty simple lives here in Hyrule." Link grabbed a milk bottle out of the icebox/chest next to Cloud and tossed it to him, also grabbing out the dominion rod and stuffing it into his pouch. There were a few cabinets to be gone through as Link collected a random assortment of bottles, the claw shot, and some bait for his fishing pole.

Cloud looked at the milk warily and shook the bottle, grimacing at the odd sloshing noise coming from within, "Link, how long has this been in your fridge?"

Link looked up as he hauled the ball and chain up from his basement, pursing his lips in thought. "I think I put it in there when I put the dominion rod in… so maybe… three or four months ago? It's still good, you can just skim the chunky stuff off the top!" Link grinned and Cloud put the bottle delicately back on the counter, holding the offending object away from his person like it was Jenova's head.

"Good choice." Navi whispered to Cloud, "that milk was actually in there since last year, me and my poker buddies were going to use it in a punishment game for getting the lowest score. Fi said there was a 53% chance that drinking it would make you faint."

Cloud smiled up at her as she swirled around him a couple of times and then flew back to Link to nap under his hat.

"Do you have everything yet?" Cloud asked walking out the door to stand on Link's small porch.

"Yes mom~" Link called.

"You'll get the Wind Temple back for us, right Link?" Ooccoo asked looking up at Link, her eyes still teary.

"Of course I will," Link stooped down to pat her on the head, his warm smile held nothing but kindness for his friend, "Don't worry, it'll be cleared out before you know it. In the meantime you guys can all just stay here, just don't get any droppings on my bed."

Link heard a small "pfft" sound coming from outside and he raced out, "Oh my goddess, did the cloudypuss just laugh? Ganon must be dancing ballet cause I didn't think I'd see the day when Cloud here giggled." He threw an arm around Cloud's neck and put him in a headlock while Cloud protested.

"I didn't laugh, a feather just brushed my nose!"

"You know Cloud, you shouldn't lie to yourself, it'll give you stomach pain." Link said, he ruffled Cloud's spikey hair and then slid down the ladder. Cloud rolled his eyes and fixed his hair, following behind.

"I'm sure." Cloud stepped off the last rung of the ladder, glaring at the swishing tail of the elf boy's hat. He looked up at the darkening sky and asked, "Shouldn't we stay here for the night? It's getting pretty dark." They were walking down the trail that lead to the entrance of Ordon Village.

"Why," Link turned around with a puzzled look on his face, "Is there something wrong with the nighttime?" Link asked, then he put on an innocent face with wide eyes, "Or is Cloudy afraid of the dark?" He whispered.

"I am not afraid of the dark," Cloud said, pushing Link in the shoulder, "wipe that look off your face, it's disgusting. I'm only saying that normal people make camp for the night and travel by day."

Link paused, "Oh yeah, I guess they do." He shrugged and put his hands behind his head while they walked, "Well it's not like we could have stayed at my house anyways, there were too many Oocca there for it to be comfortable. Besides, I wanna spend time with _you_ Cloud." Link wiggled his eyebrows at the young man next to him.

"You're impossible," Cloud snorted. They walked in silence until they reached Hyrule Field; Link chuckled a couple of times to himself but stayed quiet for most of the journey.

"Oh yeah," Link said, hitting his fist against his palm as he remembered, "Are you afraid of heights?"

"Considering all I've done, I would hope not. Why?"

"Well, in order to get to the Wind Temple we need to be shot out of a giant cannon which lands us somehow perfectly at the entrance."

Cloud pinched the bridge of his nose, "Let me get this straight, you use a… cannon… as a mode of transportation?" _Well I suppose I've used weirder, _Cloud thought to himself.

"Oh yeah, it's really simple, we'll get Tifa back in no time!" As soon as the sentence was finished a loud whistling sound pierced the air and a giant machine crashed into the ground only a few feet in front of them.

They were silent for a few minutes before Cloud ventured to ask, "Is that the cannon?"

"It's safe to assume so."

"That the only way up?"

"Yup."

"Perfect."

As they walked around it a scratching sound came from within the cannon and a dark head poked out. "Well, well, I was looking all over for you guys and your right under my nose." A black silhouette sneered as it perched on the lip of the cannon. "Now that I've found you I'd like to deliver a message." The figure jumped down gracefully and the moonlight hit him, revealing a dark colored Link.

"Oh god there's two of them." Cloud sounded horrified.

"I resent that." The two Links said in unison. They glared at each other; Dark Link hooked his thumbs in his belt and slouched. Although they looked the same, their personalities were completely different.

"Careful Link," Navi said, darting out from underneath his hat to get a closer look at Dark Link only to be swatted away like an annoying fly, "That's Dark Link, he's the entity of an anti-hero." Link drew his sword and aimed it at Dark Link, preparing for a fight.

"Cool it princess," Dark Link said, putting a finger on the tip of Link's sword and leaning forwards, "I only said I have a message, my master wouldn't be very pleased if I put you out of commission at the start of his plan."

"And your master is?" Link asked angrily, not appreciating his lookalike.

"The most powerful sorcerer known to Hyrule." Dark Link said, but his voice almost had a sarcastic tone hidden in it. "Now, if you let me read my message I can probably still get back in time for dessert." He pulled out a scroll from the collar of his tunic and unrolled it, clearing his throat and reading in a monotone. "To my goody-two-shoes nemesis and his grumpy sidekick, I just wanted to let you know that I'm holding Tifa prisoner and will not release her. Ever. Also, Link, you're ugly, and your hat looks stupid. Love Vaati. P.s. I really hate you." Dark Link rolled up the scroll and leered at Cloud who was fuming, "Tifa really is a looker, I do so enjoy my new plaything."

Cloud whipped out his sword with astonishing speed and swung it at Dark Link who looked shocked for a second before melting into the darkness. His sword passed through the black smoke harmlessly and bit into the ground beside him.

"Well that was educational." Link said, sheathing his sword, "Now I'll never have to wonder what my hair would look like if I dyed it." He pulled at a piece of blond hair that fell across his forehead.

Cloud's hands tightened around his sword before he remembered that Link wasn't intending to be rude but was merely trying to lighten the situation.

"This isn't a joke Link." Navi admonished Link, resting on his head.

"There has to be another way to the Wind Temple." Cloud said, pulling his sword out of the ground and swinging it to rest on his shoulder.

"Well maybe we could use a bunch of cuccos." Link held up his hands in defense at Cloud's seething look, "I'm serious, they're extremely useful for heights… although I suppose you can only use them to glide… Zelda would know a way!" Link said, redirecting their walking path and heading towards Castle Town. Link brainstormed the entire way there with Cloud fuming in a dejected silence. They reached the gates at sunrise, both of them looking worse for wear after trekking throughout the night. They would have made it earlier had Link not wanted to try out an idea of his that involved using Gorons to shoot them in the air. Navi nagged Link for ten minutes after that idea went horribly wrong and told him to put a hold on the ideas till some one with a brain could come up with something.

Zelda greeted them in the castle, disgruntled at being called away from her sleep but forgiving Link since she knew he wouldn't call on her at such a ridiculous hour for nothing. She brought the two heroes down to the kitchen, the servants were gone but she sat them down at the small counter and brought out a pan and eggs to cook them some breakfast. Link pulled off his sword and leaned it against the counter; Cloud hesitated for a moment and then did the same with his. Zelda fried up the eggs as Link updated her on the journey and their problem, his voice gradually growing quieter as the tale drew to a close. He cut off midsentence when talking about Dark Link, when he didn't start up again she turned around curiously to see the two boys leaning against each other asleep.

She laughed quietly, putting out the fire and taking the pan off the heat, "I guess I made this for nothing." She smiled at them and put the eggs on a plate to eat herself, although after a bite she grimaced and dumped the food in the trash. Well, cooking wasn't a part of her princess duties. She put out the lantern wandered back upstairs to think about their dilemma. She giggled halfway up the stairs when she heard a commotion from the kitchen when Link slipped off the stool and slammed into the floor, Cloud, his support gone, following after.


	4. Chapter 4

**Please enjoy! Characters are copyrighted to Squee-nix and Nintendo**

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><p>Zelda, Link, and Cloud all sat in the giant library of Hyrule Castle. Thousands of books spanned across the shelves and stretched towards the vaulted ceiling with several ladders crawling across the expansive network of history. Zelda stood before one of the massive oak tables that were scattered about the room with many books about her that were turned open to random pages. She was currently flicking through an old tome about the Wind Temple but she didn't seem happy with the information she was getting. She shut the book and grabbed another from a small stack next to her that was increasingly getting bigger from the two boys.<p>

Link was rolling across the shelves on one of the ladders, picking out random books about the Wind Temple or Vaati and tossing them down to Cloud who in turn set them on the table for Zelda. He would have helped, but he had no idea how to read Hylian and there wasn't time for him to learn. It was already a mystery to him how they could understand each other. Navi was at the far end of the table with a bowl of water where she was conversing with different friends of hers, but they didn't have any better idea.

Link snickered as he looked at a book and then tossed it down to Cloud. Cloud looked at the book in his hands and although he couldn't read it the message was clear. He pelted it back up at the elf, "I don't need to learn how to master my sword!"

"I figure not everyone's a natural like me."

"More like a natural disaster."

Link stuck his tongue out at Cloud and tossed down another book. They had started work in the afternoon and it was already approaching evening. The lamps were starting to be lit down the hallways and Zelda called in a few servants to light up the library and to bring in some food after Link's stomach grumbled so loud they thought a goron was jumping on the ceiling.

"How is it," Link began when the food was brought in and he came down from the ladders, "That we have so much information about the Wind Temple and Vaati… but the only way anyone could ever think of getting up there was a cannon? Well, I mean, not everyone since I've thought of some very plausible transportation methods, but I digress."

"You cannot ride a cloud of fairies to the wind castle." Cloud deadpanned.

"It could have worked!"

"Well, Vaati is a sorcerer so he can just transport himself up there with no trouble." Zelda said, pushing the books to the side and sitting down to eat, Link and Cloud seating themselves on the other side of the table. "I don't suppose anyone was ever planning on visiting him so no one cared if there was another way to get up there."

"That's a little depressing," Link said but then he squinted his eyes and frowned, "But he did kidnap a whole mess of maidens and turned Zelda's ancestor into stone so I guess he deserves it." He picked up a sandwich and took a deep bite out of it.

"People don't start out bad, it's the things that happen to them in life that twist their mind." Cloud said, moving a spoon around in the soup he was given before taking a sip.

Zelda and Link looked at each other, they didn't know much about their new companion, but they knew he had some baggage that he carried silently wherever he went. Link hadn't been told anything about Cloud's past, and he hadn't asked.

"The legend goes," Zelda said, setting down her cup of tea, "That Vaati had once been a Picori, a small creature the size of your thumb." She held up hers for comparison. "And they can only be seen by good children, once you reach adult hood you loose the ability to see them." She paused as if she was trying to remember, "Not much is known about Vaati, but he was a student of Ezlo, who was a master of magic in the Picori Village. There are many different theories about why Vaati became evil, most Hylians believe that it was because he had seen the greed in the hearts of men and had thought they were undeserving of the Picori help. Another is that he grew jealous of his master's talent in the art of magic."

She paused as a servant passed in the hallway and then resumed her story, "Whatever theory may be true, the one fact remains is that Vaati stole the Minish Cap, a magical hat that Ezlo created that answers the user's wishes. Vaati wished to be the greatest sorcerer in the universe, and he took on a Hylian form in the process. After that you've heard basically the rest of it, he got power hungry and tried to take over the world, he had to be sealed and my ancestors did that. He was sealed in the Four Swords until now, although I don't know how he awoke."

"Maybe the sealing timer ran out?" Link asked nonchalantly as he finished his sandwich.

"Or maybe he grew stronger and was able to break out." Zelda said, once more resuming her cup of tea.

"What I want to know," Cloud said, his blue eyes troubled, "Is why summon me?"

They were silent once again, because to be honest, none of them had any idea.

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><p>The Wind Temple was cast in darkness, the moonlit sky seemed to avoid the desolate building and reflected no light upon it. Vaati lay in bed fast asleep, his brow furrowed in concern and his hands clutching tightly to the covers around him.<p>

_"Ezlo, Ezlo, look what I made!" Vaati came running into the room of his master, in his minish form he looked so innocent and young. In his hands he held a small paper crane, the wings slightly bent from his excitement in showing Ezlo._

_Vaati looked up to see his master's face but instead of Ezlo it was himself that stood before him in a Hylian form. The Hylian Vaati had a gruesome smile on his face and he reached out and plucked the crane from the little minish and crushed it within his fist._

Vaati reached out in his sleep, trying to reach his treasure but it was too late.

_The scene twisted before him and Vaati fell into darkness, he felt cold and alone, the black pressing against him like a coffin. "Not again." He whispered to himself, the feeling of being sealed would forever haunt him, the powerlessness, the loneliness, and his desperation to escape. He couldn't move and couldn't wake, stuck between reality and death._

_"Vaati?" He heard a woman's voice and he held his breath. He didn't want to be found by her._

_"Son, where did you run off to?" Now a man's voice was there too._

_He felt the blackness before him shift and sunlight poured in behind rounded edges. Two large faces smiled at him, "Found you." The woman sang as she lifted him up._

_"You cheated mom!" Vaati said, laughing with delight when his dad took him from her and put Vaati on his shoulders. They were in his home's backyard, the "fence" around it being long blades of grass that were kept untrimmed. A little girl ran out from the back door and held Vaati's paper crane in her hands._

_"You forgot this brother!" She called up to him, but as Vaati reached down to her he felt himself being carried higher and higher away._

"I don't want to leave." Vaati whispered with his eyes squeezed shut and the sheets of his bed twisting more and more around him.

_Vaati opened his eyes to see a blackened clearing around him, smoke drifted in spirals from a familiar wooden mass in the middle, a gust of ashes flew around his face. Suddenly he was within a crowd of people, their figures were black but there eyes and mouths were highlighted like paper cut outs. Their whisperings and gossips filled the clearing._

"_He killed his own family-"_

"_They said he started the fire-"_

"_Not one of the minish-"_

"_Murderer."_

"No!" Vaati yelled in a hoarse voice, sitting upright in bed. He scrambled out of the twisted sheets and stumbled to the window, throwing open the latch and leaning out of it for breath. He shut his eyes as the cool wind ruffled his hair and he slowly slid down and sat against the wall, his face a blank mask but his mind completely jumbled. "I didn't kill them." He whispered, clutching his arms.

"Vaati?" Dark Link's voice came from the other side of the door. "Everything alright? I thought I heard something."

Vaati looked up, startled, and then stood up and smoothed his hair and clothes. He checked his reflection in the mirror and then opened the door with a sneer on his face, "Is there a reason you're disturbing my sleep?"

The black haired elf stared at him for an awkwardly long moment before retorting, "You're right, you need all the beauty rest you can get. Sorry for the disturbance." He continued on his way down the hall, slowly melting into the darkness from the dimly lit hallway.

Vaati shut the door and then sat back down in his bed, laying back and closing his eyes with his feet still touching the floor. He let out a sigh and then rolled onto his side, curling his knees up to his chest. After laying there for a couple of minutes he rolled onto his back once again and got up, heading out of his room quietly and heading to his study. As he passed by the hostage's room he notice the sliver of light that spread from the crack between the door and the floor.

There were faint murmuring sounds coming from within. Curious, he pressed his pointed ear to the door and listened while the occupants went on unaware of his presence.

Dark Link sat in a simple white chair by the window while Tifa sat on the bed, her knees drawn up with a pillow in her arms. Dark Link sighed as he held his hat in his hands, playing with the lip. "He's such a… argh!" Dark Link let out a frustrated sound, crumpling up his hat angrily. He set his hat back down on his lap and smoothed it out, "I mean, come on! The guy tries to kill Link and gets locked away for an eternity, you'd think that if he got out he would try to lay low and just live his life, but no! Not Vaati, he's gotta go and repeat the same mistake all over again."

Tifa raised her eyebrow at the frustration in Dark Link's voice. The pale elf looked at her and sighed, "You're right, I shouldn't be getting so worked up about this. It's just..." He got up and put his hat back on, walking around the room, "I hate him, alright? I really do, but as much as I hate him I also don't want to see him locked away again cause-" Dark Link stopped next to her bed while looking at the door, his head was bowed and a fringe of hair covered is face.

After a long moment Tifa quietly asked, "Because why?"

"He's the only friend I have." He looked at her from the corner of his eye, "I don't want to be alone again."

Vaati stepped away from the doorframe and pressed himself against the wall just in time for Dark Link to leave the room, oblivious to his master hiding against the cold stone. When the coast was clear Vaati continued to his study and sat down heavily in his chair.

Dark Link was wrong; this time he had a plan. He couldn't defeat Link on his own, as long as Link was under the Goddess' protection; no one could, unless that person was outside the Goddess' reign. Only a hero could defeat a hero, he'd learned that from all the history lessons ever since he'd been a Minish. His plan would have been perfect if that nosy Great Fairy hadn't meddled and ruined everything by stealing Cloud out of his spell.

Vaati sighed, getting rid of the cannon might have been a mistake, and he was growing impatient. Maybe he had overestimated Link's intelligence. He paused, scratch that, he definitely overestimated it.

He held out his arms and slowly moved his hands, feeling a gentle breeze float through them. He directed the wind slowly around him and then sent it out the window; it was a habit of his, much like twiddling his thumbs or tapping his fingers.

He hadn't thought about his little minion since he had escaped from the seal, but now it was brought to his attention that something was different about Dark Link this time. It almost seemed like he was more… Hylian.

_I don't want to be alone again._

Vaati couldn't count how many times he'd said the same thing while in that desolate darkness. Those exact words and the exact feeling behind them. Vaati steepled his fingers, "A paper crane…" He whispered in confusion to the darkness, but as expected he received no reply.


End file.
